Oil prices hit four year high: Latest news on the Middle East conflict on 9 March
Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $...
Israel and U.S. are set to discuss the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire plan on 29 December according to the Israeli Prime Minister's office.
Reportedly, the talks will focus on the implementation of future steps and the international stabilisation force outlined in the truce.
Speaking on the upcoming meeting, Shosh Bedrosian, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, said, “We cannot forget how we got here," adding, "the third phase of this plan will be focused on the de-radicalisation of the Gaza Strip.”
The announcement comes as humanitarian efforts in Gaza continue.
Tensions escalated further on Monday when Israeli authorities entered the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency’s (UNRWA) East Jerusalem offices.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the raid.
“This compound remains United Nations premises and is inviolable and immune from any other form of interference,” he said.
“I urge Israel to immediately take all necessary steps to restore, preserve and uphold the inviolability of UNRWA premises and to refrain from taking any further action with regard to UNRWA premises,” Guterres added.
In response, the Jerusalem municipality said tax collectors had entered the UNRWA compound over unpaid property taxes of 11 million shekels ($3.4 million). It was noted that multiple warnings were issued to the UNWRA office and all necessary procedures were followed before the raid.
UNRWA spokesperson Jonathan Fowler said the East Jerusalem compound remained U.N. premises (despite the Israeli ban on its operations) and that the agency had no debts to the municipality.
According to Fowler, the UN had reached out to Israeli authorities repeatedly as a reminder of their obligations under a UN convention to which Israel is a signatory.
Spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian did not answer any questions regarding the raid, instead reiterating Israel’s criticism of the organisation.
"There is a direct connection between UNRWA and Hamas inside of the Gaza Strip, with nearly every terrorist that crossed into Israeli territory to commit genocidal acts against our people on October 7, in fact, an UNRWA school graduate," he concluded.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said, via a post on the X platform, that the move by Israel could create "a dangerous precedent anywhere else the UN is present across the world."
He added that during the raid police motorcycles, trucks, and forklifts were brought in and communications were cut. IT equipment, furniture and other property had been seized.
According to the organisation, UNRWA has not used the building since earlier this year after Israel ordered it to vacate all premises and cease its operations.
Italy's aid
Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry of Italy reported that it has evacuated 17 Palestinians, including several children, for medical treatment in Italian hospitals.
The first of three Air Force aircraft were due to land Monday evening, transferring patients to facilities in Rome, Turin, and Pisa.
According to the ministry, this marks Italy’s 17th evacuation mission since the start of the Gaza emergency, demonstrating “continuity, commitment and responsibility.”
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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