A Gaza-based photographer who recently appeared in a childrens video with online star Ms. Rachel has openly acknowledged filming Israeli hostages being assaulted in the streets during Hamass Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, while deliberately withholding the footage to shield the attackers.
According to The Post Millennial, Motaz Azaiza, a widely celebrated Palestinian photojournalist, made the admission in a candid interview with journalist Ahmad Biqawi, revealing that he chose to protect the perpetrators rather than expose the brutality of the attack. Azaiza stated that he captured the scenes but refused to release them publicly, underscoring the moral and political calculations behind his decision.
I saw the vehicle of the Al-Qassam Brigades, and there were Israeli captives there, Azaiza explained. People got out, watched, beat them, hit them, and I followed them and filmed. But I did not publish those videos. Why? Because I did not want to ruin the lives of the people who were filmed. He went on to clarify his reasoning, saying, I understood that Israel would use those videos to identify every person who was there and eliminate them, he said. I did not want to be responsible, even indirectly, for the deaths of those people in exchange for a few likes and views online.
In the same interview, Azaiza turned his criticism toward Hamas leadership, accusing the terrorist organization of failing to protect Palestinians in Gaza while knowingly provoking a devastating response from Israel. He admitted that Hamas understood the likely consequences of its actions on Oct. 7 but proceeded regardless, sacrificing civilians to advance its agenda.
Anyone who tells you we didn't expect the reaction, tell him you're lying. All of Gaza expected the reaction, Azaiza said. Hamas itself knew the Israeli reaction. So it went in on Saturday, the Jews' Sabbath. His remarks undercut the narrative that the scale of Israels military response came as a surprise to those inside Gazas ruling apparatus.
Azaiza also described personal dealings with Hamas officials, including a meeting with former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, from which he requested that photographs be concealed. Such details highlight the close proximity between supposedly independent media figures in Gaza and the terror group that governs the territory. For Western audiences who have been encouraged by progressive activists to treat these voices as neutral observers, his admissions raise serious questions about credibility and complicity.
Despite these revelations, Azaiza remains the most prominent Palestinian journalist to emerge from the conflict, having been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and named one of TIME magazines most influential people. His elevated status in elite Western circles contrasts sharply with his own account of shielding violent assailants from accountability.
In July 2025, Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, featured Azaiza in an Instagram video, introducing him to her young audience as the letter-of-the-day guest for M, which she said stood for her friend Motaz. The post was later deleted after parents and activist groups objected to the platforming of a figure so closely tied to Hamass propaganda ecosystem.
Ms. Rachel has increasingly used her childrens brand to promote left-leaning political messages, particularly on the Gaza conflict, despite the expectation that childrens content remain nonpartisan and age-appropriate. She recently urged her followers on Instagram to reject what she called racist attitudes and to focus on the plight of children in the region, writing, "We're not going away, and we are not going to stop saying not to use our tax dollars to hurt and kill kids and people, she wrote in a post.
For many American families, especially those who support President Trumps strong stance against terrorism and his insistence on safeguarding U.S. taxpayer dollars from indirectly funding extremist violence, the controversy underscores a deeper concern about politicization in childrens media. The alignment of influential entertainers with figures like Azaiza, who openly admits to protecting Hamas-linked attackers, will likely intensify calls from conservatives for greater scrutiny of the messages reaching children under the guise of educational content.
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