People care about this conflict because major powers with deep pockets have made it the top geopolitical priority in the region. Between the US and the rich Arab Gulf countries, over a trillion dollars were probably spent funding and promoting this conflict.

As much as people like to think of themselves as independent thinkers, the average person’s opinion on foreign affairs is largely shaped by the geopolitical interests of their countries. The reason your average American cares about Taiwan and not the countless territorial disputes elsewhere in the world is largely the result of the US-China political escalation. It’s also why people in the west are all of a sudden “care” about Uyghurs and their century-long issues with the central Chinese government and not people who are actually getting genocided as we speak like the Amhara in Ethiopia.