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GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli gunboats opened fire on Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, locals said.

Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli navy forces fired shells at fishermen off Gaza's coast.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said a fishing boat had "deviated from the designated fishing area and an IDF boat fired warning shots in the air."

The boat then returned to the designated area, she added.

In May, the Israeli government re-extended Gaza's fishing zone to six miles, after reducing it in March following a rocket attack from the coastal territory.

The zone had been extended to six miles as part of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that ended an eight-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in November.

In the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20-nautical-mile fishing zone off Gaza's coast but it imposed a 3-mile limit for several years, opening fire at fishermen who strayed further.

Israel has controlled Gaza waters since its occupation of the area in 1967, and has kept several warships stationed off the coast since 2008.