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GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities on Monday morning released one of the two Palestinian fishermen who Israeli naval forces had detained on Sunday off the coast of the northern Gaza Strip.

Local sources told Ma'an that Israeli authorities freed Saadi al-Sultan on Monday morning, but continued to hold his brother Shafiq in custody.

The two fishermen were detained Sunday shortly after Israeli naval forces opened fire at their boat as they were on a fishing trip near the northwestern Gaza Strip.

Head of Gaza fishermen's union Nizar Ayyash told Ma'an at the time that Israeli forces also confiscated the boat which the al-Sultan brothers were using.

An Israeli army spokesperson said they were looking into Shafiq al-Sultan’s detention.

Israeli military incursions inside the besieged Gaza Strip and near the “buffer zone" which lies on both land and sea sides of Gaza, have long been a near-daily occurrence.

Palestinians who work near the “buffer zone” often come under fire from military forces, as the Israeli military has not made clear the precise area of the designated zone.

The Israeli army regularly open fires on Palestinian fishermen and farmers along the border areas, despite a ceasefire agreement that ended the 2014 war.

The practice has in effect destroyed much of the agricultural and fishing sectors of the blockaded coastal enclave.

Israeli forces also regularly detain Palestinian fisherman off the coast of Gaza working within the fishing zone, generally for alleged security reasons.

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Israeli forces detained 71 fishermen and confiscated 22 fishing boats throughout 2015.

The center said that Israeli naval forces also opened fire on Palestinian fishermen at least 139 times over the course of the year, wounding 24 and damaging 16 fishing boats.