‘Jesus Is Starving in Gaza’: Ms. Rachel Sparks Outrage With Controversial Statement

Children’s YouTube star Rachel Griffin Accurso, known as Ms. Rachel, faced sharp criticism for a social media post claiming “Jesus is starving in Gaza,” which critics slammed as anti-Semitic for implicating Jews while ignoring Hamas’s role in the region’s suffering. The post, shared with her 14.7 million YouTube subscribers and 3.6 million Instagram followers, omitted mention of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,195 Israelis or the 251 hostages taken, many still held in Gaza’s tunnels. Critics argue her narrative, framed as compassion, fuels hatred by echoing Hamas propaganda without addressing the group’s aid theft or use of civilian shields, which exacerbates Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. One detractor stated, “This is how antisemitism spreads today. Soft. Emotional. Disguised as compassion.” They added, “Shame on you, @msrachelforlittles. You don’t get to teach kindness to children while spreading hate to their parents.”

Ms. Rachel’s supposed advocacy, including a $50,000 fundraiser for Save the Children’s emergency fund in May 2024, has focused heavily on Gaza’s children, citing false UN figures of over 15,000 child deaths since October 2023. Yet, she’s accused of selective outrage, posting nearly 50 times about Gaza but only five about Israeli victims, often after public backlash. Her critics, including StopAntisemitism, allege she amplifies misleading images, like one of a malnourished child with cystic fibrosis, falsely attributed solely to starvation to back Hamas' anti-Israel narrative and go along with terrorist propaganda. The child’s mother confirmed both conditions applied. Accurso defended herself, saying, “I care deeply for all children. Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US, Muslim, Jewish, Christian children, all children, in every country.” However, her failure to condemn Hamas or acknowledge its role in hoarding aid, over 1.7 million tons entered Gaza since October 2023, per Israeli reports, has fuelled accusations of bias. With antisemitic incidents up 140% in the U.S. since 2023, per the Anti-Defamation League, her rhetoric risks inflaming tensions, contradicting her platform’s message of universal kindness.