DUBAI, November 23. /TASS/. An operations center in Doha will monitor a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas and the release of hostages held in Gaza, Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said.

According to him, Qatar is ready to act as a coordinator between Israel, the Hamas Political Office in Doha and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The diplomat noted that apart from monitoring the release of 50 Israeli citizens under the agreement, the center would also work to collect information about the remaining hostages. "It is very important that we maintain clear contact with all parties through the operations center, seeking to make sure that the hostage handover takes place in a safe environment," the Qatari diplomat stressed.

Al-Ansari announced earlier that the humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas would begin at 5:00 a.m. GMT on Friday. The first group of hostages, which will consist of 13 women and children, is expected to be released at 2:00 p.m. GMT.

Hamas announced on November 22 that an agreement on a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip had been reached through the mediation of Qatar and Egypt. The movement confirmed that the agreement stipulated the release of 50 women and children under the age of 19 who are held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 150 women and children under the age of 19 from Israeli prisons.

Tzachi Hanegbi, head of Israel's National Security Council, said that the release of hostages held in Gaza was unlikely to begin before November 24.