Renowned children's entertainer Ms. Rachel says she faced bullying after kickstarting a charity campaign to raise money for many humanitarian crises, including those in Gaza.
Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Accurso, is known for her educational videos for toddlers, with 4.3 million followers on TikTok.
The content creator offered to make personalised videos on the video-sharing platform Cameo for her fans to purchase to raise donations for Save the Children's Emergency Fund for children in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, and Gaza.
However, pro-Israel supporters denounced the content creator for using her platform to amplify the plight of Palestinian children facing war in the besieged territory without including Israelis.
The creator was accused of being a "Hamas apologist", "Israel hater'" or "antisemite", causing Accurso to block the comments section from posts on her Instagram page.
Accurso said she hoped creating personalised videos for charity would help reach an integral goal. But this week, the former teacher revealed she had been the target of online "bullying".
In an emotional Instagram and TikTok post, Accurso said: "The bullying is bad. It's so bad, but I can handle this," noting that she loves every child after being accused of not caring about all children.
"I care deeply for all children. Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US - Muslim, Jewish, Christian children - all children, in every country. Not one is excluded," she added in the caption.
"I see every child as I see my own. I love every neighbor. Any child suffering is on my heart," she said, adding that to do a fundraiser for "currently starving" children "is human."
Despite all of the hate, many fans and pro-Palestine supporters took to social media to share their approval of Ms. Rachel's efforts.
"Ms. Rachel is getting bullied because she raised over $50k for children in Gaza and other nations facing conflict and all I have to say if you have a problem with someone raising $ for children who are literally starving and orphaned in the middle of a war zone… you're the problem," said another user.
Ms. Rachel is getting bullied because she raised over $50k for children in Gaza and other nations facing conflict and all I have say if you have a problem with someone raising $ for children who are literally starving and orphaned in the middle of a war zone…you’re the problem.
— 🌈haley🖤 (@haleydruscilla)
"God bless Ms Rachel. Despite so many salty Zionists in her comments of her first video, she continued with her Emergency fund for children in Gaza, Sudan, DR Congo," one X user wrote in a post on Wednesday.
A parent of one toddler, who spoke to The New Arab on condition of anonymity, said that Ms Rachel's contributions were important in spreading awareness about the plight of Palestinian children.
"I wholeheartedly support Ms. Rachel's initiative to raise funds for children, especially those affected by war, such as in Gaza. It's crucial to prioritize the well-being of these children because they represent our future," the parent told The New Arab.
"I hope that by contributing to this cause, we can make a difference in their lives and raise awareness about the importance of supporting children in conflict zones."
On Tuesday, Accurso released a follow-up video on TikTok to share an update on her latest campaign – including that up to $50,000 was raised hours after the programme started.
The New Arab approached Ms. Rachel for comment but she did not respond before the time of publication.
