We all say we care about hunger – especially when children suffer. And we should. But beyond the headlines about Gaza, here’s the hard question:

When do people – especially world leaders – lose the moral right to condemn a crisis abroad while ignoring nearly identical or worse crises at home and around the world?

Let’s get real.

According to the Global Hunger Index, about 757 million people – one in eleven globally – are hungry right now. Millions go to bed hungry every night, even in wealthy countries. This isn’t hidden. It’s a humanitarian disaster desperately longing for leadership.

So where are the protests? The viral campaigns? The political urgency? I can’t recall any.

Now, let me play devil’s advocate for a moment. Hunger is ancient and complex. There are food banks and charities trying to help – it’s the grim status quo. But Gaza’s hunger, we’re told, is different: caused solely by a conflict and the Israeli military ‘withholding aid’. So, protests and outrage focused on Israel seem justified.

I don’t buy that premise. But just for argument’s sake, let’s say it’s true.

Did you know Sudan is experiencing confirmed starvation – unlike Gaza? On August 1, 2024, the United Nations officially declared famine in several areas of Sudan, including camps in North Darfur and sites in the Nuba Mountains. This is the only officially declared famine in the world right now, and its causes are entirely man‑made. War, ethnic cleansing, bombings, and blocked aid. Atrocities committed by Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces.

Where are the protests for the Sudanese people?

Where is the global outrage?

The boycotts? The nonstop media coverage? I can’t recall any either.

Now compare that to Gaza, where the moment Israel can be blamed, the world erupts. Politicians condemn Israel. Celebrities post. Protests flood the streets. The focus is laser sharp and instantaneous.

Why the blatant inconsistency?

Is it really about hunger?

Is it unreasonable to say this is selective outrage – political theatre with a target: Israel?

The intensity, timing, and circumstances of the outrage suggest that it’s not really about starvation or justice. It reeks of profoundly ingrained animus toward one country – Israel – and in some cases, the oldest hatred of them all: antisemitism.

This isn’t about ignoring Gaza’s suffering. It’s about exposing hypocrisy.

Outrage that only flares when Israel is involved isn’t justice – it’s bias. It doesn’t help Palestinians. It doesn’t free hostages. It doesn’t feed the hungry. It fuels the fire.

When leaders rush to condemn Israel but remain silent as Hamas uses civilians as shields and holds hostages; when they ignore millions starving worldwide – in other conflicts and beyond, including in their own countries – they are not advancing peace. Instead, they prolong the very war they claim to oppose by, in effect, sympathising with Hamas.

So yes – speak up. Protest war, hunger, injustice.

But if you only care when Israel’s involved, maybe it’s not really about caring at all.

Osher Feldman, Rabbi and Lawyer, Sydney, Australia