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GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities released four Palestinian fishermen on Tuesday who were detained earlier that day off the coast of the northern Gaza Strip, when their boat was also confiscated.

Fishermen told Ma’an that the four were released via the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.

They were identified as Majed Fadel Bakr, 55, Umran Majed Bakr, 27, Muhammad Ziyad Bakr, 26, and Khalil Jawhar Bakr, 22.

An Israeli army spokesperson said they were looking into reports.

The incident came after Israeli authorities opened fire on and detained two fishermen, brothers Saadi and Shafiq al-Sultan, and confiscated their boat off the northern coast of the besieged coastal enclave on Sunday.

Saadi al-Sultan was released Monday morning, and it remained unclear as of Wednesday morning if Shafiq was still being held.

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.