Children’s educator and YouTube star Rachel Accurso, widely known as Ms Rachel, has renewed her call for action after a United Nations report accused Israeli security forces of deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza.
Accurso shared an emotional video on Instagram after the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry released its latest findings. Fighting back tears, she questioned why many world leaders had remained silent despite the mounting humanitarian crisis.
“Where have you been?” she asked.
“Did you not see these kids as kids because of where they were born? Did you not think the 20,000 kids that were killed and the countless others under the rubble who died of starvation and other causes that would be so simple to treat.”
She then asked whether the children of Gaza “had beating hearts like your kids.”
Referring to the UN findings, Accurso said 151 children had died from starvation. She also cited what the report described as “the deliberate targeting of children.” Among the incidents she mentioned was the killing of a breastfeeding baby by a quadcopter while inside a tent.
Accurso also challenged political leaders over their silence.
“What do you have to lose by speaking up for what is right?” she asked.
She added that she could not understand how leaders could “go to sleep at night knowing you didn’t say anything.”
UN report raises fresh international scrutiny
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry published the report earlier this week. Investigators reviewed events between October 2023 and October 2025. They concluded that Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children. The commission said those actions amounted to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes under international law.
According to the report, more than 20,000 Palestinian children died during the period under review. Children accounted for about 30 percent of all reported deaths in Gaza. The report also documented widespread starvation and attacks on civilians.
Israel rejected the findings. Israeli officials called the report biased and defamatory. They denied deliberately targeting civilians and said the military continues to target Hamas while taking measures to reduce civilian harm.
The report has intensified international debate over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Human rights groups and several UN agencies have continued to urge governments to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian aid reaches those in need.
Longstanding support for Palestinian children
Accurso has become one of the most prominent public figures advocating for children affected by the war in Gaza. She has consistently used her social media platforms to highlight the humanitarian crisis and encourage support for families living through the conflict.
Her advocacy has drawn criticism from several pro-Israel organisations. Those groups accused her of anti-Semitism because of her support for Palestinian children. Accurso has repeatedly rejected those allegations. She has said she speaks for every child affected by war, regardless of nationality, ethnicity or religion.
As a global ambassador for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), Accurso raises funds for the organisation, supports its programmes and spends time with Palestinian children receiving medical treatment in the United States.
One of those children is Rahaf, a four-year-old double amputee from Gaza. Accurso has developed a close friendship with her and has frequently shared their meetings online. She says Rahaf’s story reminds the world that every child deserves safety, dignity and hope.
Her latest appeal has gained widespread attention across social media. It also comes as international pressure continues to grow following the UN commission’s findings on the impact of the war on Gaza’s children.
