Fact Check: Ms. Rachel didn't say Palestinian children's lives are 'worth more' than others
Rachel Accurso, better known as Ms. Rachel, said, "You may pay a price for defending Palestinian children. Let it be paid! Their lives are worth more!"
Rating:
Context:
Accurso's consistent message, mostly expressed on social media and in interviews, centers her universal support of all children's rights, including access to food, water, education, medical care and protection from violence. In addition to advocating for Gazan and Israeli children and families, she has expressed support for children living in other conflict zones, including Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine.
Beginning in May 2025, online users shared quote memes claiming Rachel Accurso, better known as the YouTube children's educational star Ms. Rachel, said the lives of Palestinian children were "worth more" than others. The quote read: "You may pay a price for defending Palestinian children. Let it be paid! Their lives are worth more!"
For example, on June 1, an X user posted (archived) a quote meme with Accurso's picture and the purported comment. The post received more than 2.2 million views, 17,000 reposts and 110,000 likes.
(Image courtesy of @theleftbible/X)
Another X user's post (archived) from May 22 featured a different meme displaying the same quote, earning nearly 2 million views and more than 22,000 reposts and 170,000 likes. Many other users shared the same quote or a meme displaying the quote on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), LinkedIn (archived), Reddit (archived), Threads (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived).
(Image courtesy of @donyaihsan/X)
However, searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo, as well as The Associated Press, CNN, Fox News, People and The Washington Post, found no evidence of Accurso ever making the remark, or saying with other words she believed the lives of Palestinian children were more valuable than others. Rather, users sharing the quote with her image and name mischaracterized her past comments, in which she had repeatedly spoken out about the suffering of Gazan children and Israeli hostages during the Israel-Hamas war, as well as children suffering in other countries, while at the same time expressing universal support for all children's rights, including access to food, water, education, medical care and protection from violence.
The image of Accurso appearing in the aforementioned June 1 X post originated from an interview on NBC's "Today" show, a brief appearance in which no one mentioned Israel, Gaza or conflict zones. The May 22 X post's photo possibly originated from one of Accurso's videos intended for children.
Snopes contacted Creative Artists Agency, which represents Accurso, to ask about the misleading quote memes. We also sent a private message to the author of the aforementioned Reddit post on the r/Palestinian subreddit to ask for their source regarding the quote, as their post was the earliest record found yet online, according to our searches. We will update this story if we learn more.
In the year and months since Oct. 7, 2023 — the day when the militant Palestinian group Hamas carried out an attack in Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 hostages, including dozens who later died in captivity — Accurso's @msrachelforlittles Instagram page, and her other social media accounts, became more and more filled with posts about supporting children and families in both Gaza and Israel, as well as those involved in conflicts in other countries. Citing Palestinian health authorities, Reuters reported in March 2025 that Israel's ground and air campaign in Gaza had killed more than 50,000 people, with nearly a third under the age of 18.
As one of many examples, on Feb. 9, Accurso posted her thoughts about universally caring for all children, without mentioning any countries or religions. The post read: "Compassion is not controversial. Human rights and children's rights are not controversial. All people being equal is not controversial. Children deserving access to water, food, education and medical care is not controversial. Children deserving to be protected from violence is not controversial." She added in the post's text caption, "Having to say this is heartbreaking."
In another example, from June 3, she shared (archived) a message reading, in part, "I stand against all forms of hate and violence — including antisemitism, anti-Palestinian hate, anti-Arab hate, anti-Muslim hate and all hate meant to divide us and cause harm rather than bring us together. Every child, person and every family deserves to feel valued, loved and safe."
Accurso's pinned Instagram posts, as of this writing, documented her meeting with a young Gazan girl named Rahaf. "Rahaf is a 3-year-old double amputee who lost her legs in an airstrike," she wrote in one post. In other posts, she told world leaders to "be so ashamed" of remaining silent regarding Gazan suffering, alleging such leaders practiced "anti-Palestinian racism."
A review of Accurso's Instagram feed found posts expressing support not just of Gazan children and families but also Israeli victims, including documenting her meeting with "a close family member of hostages," expressing support for Israeli children and others who witnessed Hamas' attack on Oct. 7 and extending sympathy following the announcement of the deaths of three Israeli hostages — a woman named Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel. Also, on May 22, she posted, "My heart is so heavy hearing about the tragic killing of Israeli embassy workers, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, outside the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C."
In 2023, Accurso teamed up with the humanitarian nonprofit group Save the Children. In May 2024, she experienced online bullying after announcing a fundraiser affiliated with the charity organization, one benefitting children in conflict zones. She specifically mentioned "children living in conflict [in] Gaza, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo [and] Ukraine."
On May 12, 2025, the Zeteo news media outlet, founded by journalist Medhi Hasan, published a video interview with Accurso. Hasan asked Accurso a number of questions, including about people who speak out against her for talking about the suffering of Gazan children. Zeteo has since published the full interview on YouTube.
Accurso told Hasan:
The idea that caring for a group of children in an emergency situation means you don't care about other children is false. And I just don't understand. I just don't understand it. As teachers, I was a New York City public school teacher, and I care about every child in my class. I don't care about half of them because of where they were born. I care about all of them. And if some are in an emergency situation, I'm going to say, "Let's help them." And it doesn't mean I don't deeply care about all of them.
Later, she talked about meeting with the family member of an Israeli hostage, saying, "Our compassion doesn't have boundaries or borders. We just love kids, and I have connected and sat with a family member of a, whose family is held hostage right now, and I was moved to tears multiple times. It was horrific and harrowing, and I also put myself, as an empathetic person I put myself in that situation and it's just horrible."
Hasan, asking Accurso about "a small minority of people who want to cause trouble" about her advocacy of Gazan children and all children, inquired about those people alleging her words amounted to antisemitism. She responded, while in tears, "It doesn't make sense. It's not true. I'm against any bigotry. And I've seen bigotry. It's, it's horrible. And I'm so against it."
Asking why she speaks out in support of children living in conflict zones, including in Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and Mali, Accurso responded, "I do think it's a calling from God."
In an NPR interview published on June 3, Accurso repeated many of the points she made to Hasan. Responding to a question about people who expressed criticism of her support of Gazan children, she said, "It's really painful. And I have to remind myself that people don't know my heart, and people try to tell you who you are, but you know who you are. And I know how deeply and equally I care for all children, and I do lean on my faith in that situation."
The official Ms. Rachel website features biographies for her and her husband, Aron, who both star in their trademark "Songs for Littles" YouTube videos. Her biography twice says she advocates for "all children," makes note of her two master's degrees in education and mentions Herbie, a puppet character that appears in the Ms. Rachel series of videos:
Rachel is a passionate educator who creates research-based videos to help toddlers and their families learn, bond, and thrive. Her videos infuse songs, games and nursery rhymes with strategies from experts to help children reach important milestones in the crucial early years of learning. Rachel believes all children are capable, brilliant and important. She loves learning from them and being around their contagious joy and wonder.
Rachel has two master's degrees in education. She has one in early childhood development and one in music education. She is an advocate for children's rights and works to ensure that all children have access to high quality early childhood education. She is an ambassador for Save the Children and Room to Grow.
Her sweet little boy inspired the show and continues to inspire her work every day! She is married to the amazing, Mr. Aron, AKA HERBIE!
The Ms. Rachel YouTube channel has earned over 11 billion views and 15 million subscribers, as of this writing. Accurso's character has appeared in more than 100 videos, including prominently collaborating with the children's TV show "Sesame Street" and the Australian children's music group The Wiggles.
For further reading, a previous fact check detailed the facts of another investigation featuring Ms. Rachel, in which an unfounded rumor claimed Accurso filed a lawsuit against comedian and creator Druski over a video parodying her famous character.
Al-Mughrabi, Nidal, and Emma Farge. "Gaza Death Toll: How Many Palestinians Has Israel's Offensive Killed?" Reuters, 24 Mar. 2025, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-many-palestinians-has-israels-gaza-offensive-killed-2025-01-15/.
Cervantes Jr, Fernando. "Ms. Rachel Defends Advocacy for Palestinian Children amid Backlash: 'It's Sad.'" USA TODAY, 14 May 2025, https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2025/05/14/ms-rachel-advocacy-palestinian-children/83629050007/.
Hasan, Mehdi. "EXCLUSIVE: The One and Only Ms. Rachel Opens Up to Mehdi on Her Advocacy for Gaza's Kids." Zeteo, 12 May 2025, https://zeteo.com/p/exclusive-the-one-and-only-ms-rachel.
Locke, Ashley, and Asma Khalid. "Ms. Rachel Says She'll Keep Advocating for Children in Gaza, Even If It Means Risking Her Career." New England Public Media, 3 June 2025, https://www.nepm.org/2025-06-03/ms-rachel-says-shell-keep-advocating-for-children-in-gaza-even-if-it-means-risking-her-career.
"Ms Rachel DEFENDS Her Support for Gaza's Kids." YouTube, Zeteo, 21 May 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmnNY2e3SL0.
"Ms. Rachel Details the Importance of Narrating Your Day to Children." TODAY.com, 24 Sept. 2024, https://www.today.com/video/ms-rachel-details-the-importance-of-narrating-your-day-to-children-220020293980.
"@msrachelforlittles." Instagram, https://www.instagram.com//.
Odenheimer, Natan, et al. "Gaza War Led to Deaths of More Than 3 Dozen Hostages, Officials Say." The New York Times, 8 Mar. 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-hostages.html.
Peled, Anat, and Summer Said. "Hamas Took Around 250 Hostages From Israel. Here's What We Know." The Wall Street Journal, 27 Feb. 2025, https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-hostages-israel-gaza-41432124.
"Team (Ms Rachel)." Ms Rachel | Official Site, https://www.msrachel.com/pages/team.
"Tens of Thousands of Israelis Bid Farewell to Hamas Hostages Shiri Bibas and Her 2 Sons Killed in Gaza." PBS News, 26 Feb. 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/tens-of-thousands-of-israelis-bid-farewell-to-hamas-hostages-shiri-bibas-and-her-2-sons-killed-in-gaza.
Tolentino, Daysia. "Viral Kids Creator Ms. Rachel Says She Experienced Bullying after Fundraising for Children in Gaza." NBC News, 17 May 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ms-rachel-bullying-fundraising-children-gaza-rcna152701.
Tracy, Marc. "Why Tot Celebrity Ms. Rachel Waded Into the Gaza Debate." The New York Times, 14 May 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/arts/television/ms-rachel-gaza-israel.html.
"Trump Says Only 21 Hostages Held by Hamas in Gaza Are Still Believed to Be Alive." PBS News via The Associated Press, 7 May 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/trump-says-only-21-hostages-held-by-hamas-in-gaza-are-still-believed-to-be-alive.
"YouTube Star Educator Ms Rachel Joins Save the Children to Help Boost Child Literacy." Save the Children, 8 Sept. 2023, https://www.savethechildren.net/news/youtube-star-educator-ms-rachel-joins-save-children-help-boost-child-literacy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
Belgium questions 2 Israelis at music festival over Gaza crime allegations
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian police questioned two members of the Israeli army who were attending a music festival in Belgium over allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Brussels said in a statement Monday. In a statement to The Associated Press, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said an Israeli citizen and an Israeli soldier who were on vacation in Belgium 'were taken in yesterday for interrogation and were released shortly afterward.' It said Israeli authorities 'dealt with this issue and are in touch with the two.' It was not immediately clear why the Israeli Foreign Ministry referred to one civilian and one soldier, while Belgian prosecutors spoke of two Israeli army members. The whereabouts of the two people who were questioned was not immediately clear. The case was hailed as a 'turning point in the global pursuit of accountability' by a Belgium-based group called the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has campaigned for the arrest of Israeli troops it accuses of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The group was named for a young girl who Palestinians say was killed early in the war by Israeli fire as she and her family fled Gaza City. Israel says its forces follow international law and try to avoid harming civilians, and that it investigates allegations of wrongdoing. In a written statement, the prosecutor's office said that the two army members — who were in Belgium for the Tomorrowland festival — were questioned after the office received legal complaints on Friday and Saturday from the Hind Rajab Foundation and another group. The prosecution office requested the questioning after an initial assessment of the complaints 'determined that it potentially had jurisdiction.' The Hind Rajab foundation said it filed its complaints along with the rights group Global Legal Action Network. The decision to question the two Israelis was based on an article in Belgium's Code of Criminal Procedure that went into force last year and grants Belgian courts jurisdiction over acts overseas that are potentially governed by an international treaty, in this case the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1984 United Nations convention against torture, the prosecution statement said. 'In light of this potential jurisdiction, the Federal Prosecutor's Office requested the police to locate and interrogate the two individuals named in the complaint. Following these interrogations, they were released,' the statement said, without elaborating. It said it was not providing any further information at this stage of its investigation. The news in Belgium came as the U.N. food agency accused Israel of using tanks, snipers and other weapons to fire on a crowd of Palestinians seeking food aid, in what the territory's Health Ministry said was one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war. The death toll in war-ravaged Gaza has climbed to more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Since forming last year, the Hind Rajab Foundation has made dozens of complaints in more than 10 countries to arrest both low-level and high-ranking Israeli soldiers. 'We will continue to support the ongoing proceedings and call on Belgian authorities to pursue the investigation fully and independently,' the group said in a statement. 'Justice must not stop here — and we are committed to seeing it through.'
San Francisco Chronicle
25 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Belgium questions 2 Israelis at music festival over Gaza crime allegations
BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian police questioned two members of the Israeli army who were attending a music festival in Belgium over allegations of serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Brussels said in a statement Monday. In a statement to The Associated Press, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said an Israeli citizen and an Israeli soldier who were on vacation in Belgium 'were taken in yesterday for interrogation and were released shortly afterward." It said Israeli authorities "dealt with this issue and are in touch with the two.' It was not immediately clear why the Israeli Foreign Ministry referred to one civilian and one soldier, while Belgian prosecutors spoke of two Israeli army members. The whereabouts of the two people who were questioned was not immediately clear. The case was hailed as a 'turning point in the global pursuit of accountability' by a Belgium-based group called the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has campaigned for the arrest of Israeli troops it accuses of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The group was named for a young girl who Palestinians say was killed early in the war by Israeli fire as she and her family fled Gaza City. Israel says its forces follow international law and try to avoid harming civilians, and that it investigates allegations of wrongdoing. In a written statement, the prosecutor's office said that the two army members — who were in Belgium for the Tomorrowland festival — were questioned after the office received legal complaints on Friday and Saturday from the Hind Rajab Foundation and another group. The prosecution office requested the questioning after an initial assessment of the complaints 'determined that it potentially had jurisdiction.' The Hind Rajab foundation said it filed its complaints along with the rights group Global Legal Action Network. The decision to question the two Israelis was based on an article in Belgium's Code of Criminal Procedure that went into force last year and grants Belgian courts jurisdiction over acts overseas that are potentially governed by an international treaty, in this case the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1984 United Nations convention against torture, the prosecution statement said. 'In light of this potential jurisdiction, the Federal Prosecutor's Office requested the police to locate and interrogate the two individuals named in the complaint. Following these interrogations, they were released,' the statement said, without elaborating. It said it was not providing any further information at this stage of its investigation. The news in Belgium came as the U.N. food agency accused Israel of using tanks, snipers and other weapons to fire on a crowd of Palestinians seeking food aid, in what the territory's Health Ministry said was one of the deadliest days for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war. The death toll in war-ravaged Gaza has climbed to more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas government, but the U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. 'We will continue to support the ongoing proceedings and call on Belgian authorities to pursue the investigation fully and independently,' the group said in a statement. 'Justice must not stop here — and we are committed to seeing it through.'
Newsweek
26 minutes ago
- Newsweek
US Warns Over Another Middle East War
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States has warned there is "no Plan B" for Syria as it called for calm following a ceasefire brokered with Israel in the wake of clashes in southern Syria in which Israeli forces intervened. "President Trump has huge interest in making sure we have regional stability," U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack said in Lebanon. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department, the Syrian government and the Israeli prime minister's office for comment. Why It Matters Syria is at the intersection of conflicts involving major Middle Eastern powers Israel, Iran and Turkey and if it spins out of control it could become an epicenter of a bigger regional war that could also pull in the United States. The ambassador's comments highlighted U.S. support for the transitional Syrian government of President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former jihadi who overthrew Iranian-backed President Bashar al-Assad late last year. Syria is trying to rebuild, regain control from armed groups, stop sectarian violence, and fight off ISIS. The latest fighting and Israel's expanded deployment shows the situation remains fragile. Syrian soldiers raise the Syrian national flag in front of the Syrian Defense Ministry building, which was heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes last Wednesday, in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025. Syrian soldiers raise the Syrian national flag in front of the Syrian Defense Ministry building, which was heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes last Wednesday, in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025. Omar Sanadiki/AP Photo What To Know U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Monday reaffirmed support for Syria's transitional government, saying there's "no Plan B" for uniting the war-torn country. He said Israel's intervention "creates another very confusing chapter" and "came at a very bad time," in an interview with the Associated Press on Monday. More than 300 people were killed and thousands forced to flee sectarian clashes last week in the southern Suwayda governorate, according to rights groups and authorities. The United Nations' human rights office, OHCHR, said there were reports of widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction of private property and looting of homes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that the Syrian government had sent troops into southern Syria and begun attacking the Druze community, prompting it to strike the defense ministry in Damascus. Israel wants a demilitarized zone in the region to south of Damascus, from the Golan Heights and to the Druze Mountain area, he added. The Israeli army, which recruits heavily among Israel's own Druze population, has declared part of the area adjacent to the border fence in northern Golan a closed military zone, according to Israel's Channel 12. President Al-Sharaa condemned "foreign intervention" in a speech on Saturday. Sharaa and his interim government have said that authorities are seeking to restore state rule in regions dominated by Druze militias. What People Are Saying U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Special Envoy to Syra Thomas Barrack on X: "The international community has largely rallied behind the nascent Syrian government, watching with cautious optimism as it seeks to transition from a legacy of pain to a future of hope. Yet, this fragile ambition is now overshadowed by profound shock, as brutal acts by warring factions on the ground undermine the government's authority and disrupt any semblance of order. All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities, and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance. Syria stands at a critical juncture—peace and dialogue must prevail—and prevail now." Mahmoud Alloush, Turkey-based political analyst, told Al-Jazeera Channel: "The Suweida crisis reflects the serious threat Israel poses to Syria — one that goes beyond the state's relationship with the Druze and undermines the broader project of a unified Syrian state. Israel is poisoning ties between the Druze and Damascus, working to entrench sectarian fault lines and keep partition on the table." What Happens Next Syrian authorities face a challenge to establish control and to show they have moved beyond their jihadi associations. Further fighting could deepen Syria's crisis and prompt further Israeli intervention. Syria's authorities are evacuating hundreds of Bedouin families trapped in Suwayda to the Daraa countryside.
