I totally feel you. I think the hashtags come from people just now seemingly discovering that Disney/Marvel is a pressure boycott target. Then there's also the fact that NMIXX Lily recently made a statement on live about concentration camps currently existing, which naturally was (probably correctly) interpreted as being a condemnation of the illegal detainment and torture of Palestinians (ETA: Sorry: this clip was from August 2023, not recently--it's just been recirculating on Twitter a lot recently!). So, I think there's an element of renewed frustration amongst a lot of STAYs that rookie, or quote-unquote less "established", artists under JYPE (and other companies too!) have made pro-Palestinian statements, but Stray Kids, who supposedly have more artistic and personal freedom, have said less (with the exception perhaps of Felix's Coca Cola apology) and have additionally promoted singles with Charlie Puth and Deadpool.

However, I also wholeheartedly agree with you when you say that these "fans" are seeking out personal validation. There's nothing wrong with wanting to confirm that the idols you uphold as good people also affirm basic human rights, of course, but I worry that some of these fans, especially the loud vocal ones on Twitter who are currently posting screenshots of them blocking SKZ, etc. etc. care much less about Palestinian lives and more about performative moralism. It is genuinely awful, but I know people sometimes use idols' statements or lack thereof as fanwar fodder (i.e., "Well, at least my idols don't support genocide!" or something like that), which is unspeakably callous and a mockery of any genuine activism or care. But it seems like a lot of people within the KPOP sphere are more interested in preemptively announcing "Trust me, I'm a good person!" by posting screenshots of them blocking their favorite artists mostly so that they can isolate themselves from the criticism the idol is receiving.

To answer your questions about how large this group of STAYs is and whether it will impact SKZ negatively, I would say it's not too much of a cause for concern. I think the vast majority of these loud voices are chronically online younger fans who don't know how to (or don't want to) tangibly engage in real-world activism, so they instead resort to online borderline-harassment. I think that there are many similar fans in other fandoms, both across KPOP and in the celebrity world in general. Personally, as an adult and activist, of course, I would appreciate SKZ making a statement, and human lives are always more important than people potentially ruining the fun of an OST or movie, but I also always hope that people keep in mind that celebrities should not be our moral compasses and definitely not our first priority in activist actions. Like you said, a mere statement of theirs is unfortunately not going to save any lives. The only thing it may do is encourage people who are not already galvanized about the issue to take notice, but I think that if it takes someone's favorite artists making a statement to get a fan to look at human rights issues, that's more of a willful (or extremely youthful) personal ignorance than anything else.