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Rachel Accurso, known to millions of her fans as Ms Rachel, is part of Glamour Magazine’s annual Women of the Year list. The children’s entertainer was inducted in recognition of the massive platform she’s built up — over 17 million subscribers on YouTube and almost eight million followers on TikTok — and how she uses it to advocate for the most vulnerable of the world’s children, particularly in conflict zones such as Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.

Accurso started posting videos of herself on YouTube six years ago, singing songs to help her young son Thomas through a speech delay, now her songs — and her iconic look — have become a brand recognisable by toddlers everywhere, the magazine reported. In an interview with Glamour, she said she had always wanted to work with kids and wanted to be a singer, so now she’s living her dreams.

The star said she was deeply inspired by Fred Rogers and his television show Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood, which she grew up watching. When asked whether his activism inspired her, she said she couldn’t “accept the comparison because it’s just too much pressure,” but that she was “honoured to be in the same sentence as him”.

Like Rogers before her, Accurso is vocal about war, conflict and the impact they have on children. She has consistently raised her voice for children in Gaza and highlighted stories of children affected by Israel’s brutal war, which killed thousands of kids and severely injured many others.

The YouTuber is a global ambassador for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) and supports their activities in the United States with donations and by spending time with children the PCRF brings to the US for treatment. She’s developed a particularly strong friendship with Rahaf, a four-year-old double amputee from Gaza.

Accurso told Glamour it was painful to hear people say negative things about her over her moral stance, but “kids’ lives are more important than [her] reputation, or something [she] might read that’s painful”. She said she imagines herself in the shoes of mothers whose kids are suffering and that keeps her going amidst the pressure. She has faced many accusations of anti-semitism by pro-Israel lobbyists.

Also on the Women of the Year list is actor Rachel Zegler, another strong voice for the people of Gaza. Zegler was in the limelight last year for her feud with her Snow White costar — and former Israeli service member — Gal Gadot. She told Variety in an interview she “can’t watch children die”.

For two years, Israel relentlessly bombarded Gaza as part of a war on the territory, killing upwards of 68,000 Palestinians. Israel officially agreed to a ceasefire earlier this month along with a prisoner swap. However, the situation remains tense and sporadic Israeli strikes persist, with one of the most recent being conducted in Gaza on Sunday.