Pro-Israel group targets Ms. Rachel over Gaza children support

Rachel Griffin Accurso, widely known as Ms. Rachel, a beloved figure in children’s education, is under attack by a pro-Israel organisation for speaking out on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The group, StopAntisemitism, has accused her of “spreading Hamas propaganda” merely for raising awareness about the starvation of Palestinian children and advocating for the delivery of life-saving aid.

StopAntisemitism, a right-wing organisation notorious for targeting critics of Israeli policies, has long faced criticism for equating legitimate concern for Palestinian rights with antisemitism. In a letter to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, obtained by The Post, the group’s director Liora Rez called for an investigation into whether Ms. Rachel’s advocacy violates the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a law typically used to counter covert foreign lobbying.

Rez claimed Ms. Rachel was “incorporating Hamas-like propagated images and stories” and criticised her for allegedly ignoring the plight of Israeli victims. However, many of the examples cited by StopAntisemitism have been independently verified as accurate depictions of Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe.

One disputed post featured Fadi al-Zant, a child from Gaza suffering from both cystic fibrosis and starvation, as confirmed by his mother in The Washington Post. The group also dismissed verified reports of children dying from hypothermia during Gaza’s harsh winter, despite documentation from UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, and the Gaza Health Ministry.

StopAntisemitism further claimed that 1.7 million tonnes of aid had reached Gaza, a figure contradicted by widespread reporting of a total blockade since early March. Famine conditions, particularly in northern Gaza, have been confirmed by multiple humanitarian organisations.

While the group continues to defend Israeli military actions, investigations by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have raised serious concerns over potential war crimes and a plausible risk of genocide. As of April 2025, more than 33,000 Palestinians, including over 15,000 children, have been killed, and hundreds of thousands face starvation.

Ms. Rachel, known for her popular educational series Songs for Littles, has made it clear her advocacy is not political but driven by compassion.

Speaking to The Independent, she described how witnessing the trauma of Palestinian children compelled her to act. Despite raising over $50,000 for humanitarian relief, including aid for Gaza, she has faced online harassment and smear campaigns.