Israel's police said the perpetrator of a stabbing attack in the northern city of Haifa on Monday was a member of Israel's Druze Arab minority who recently returned from abroad.

Israeli Druze are an ethno-religious minority among the Arab citizens of Israel, who's roots in the region go back centuries. They make up roughly 5.5 percent of Lebanon's population, 3 percent of Syria and 1.6 percent of Israel.

The attack came one day after Israel blocked aid to the Gaza Strip during an impasse over extending the truce in the Palestinian territory.

Earlier, a prominent Druze leader in Lebanon said on Sunday that he will soon visit Syria to meet its interim leader as tensions simmer between members of the minority group, the war-torn country’s interim government, and Israel.

“The free Syrians must be cautious of the plots of Israel,” veteran Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said at a news conference Sunday, accusing Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of creating sectarian division and chaos in the country. “In Syria there is a plot for sabotage. There is a plot for sabotage in the region and for the Arabs’ national security.”

The six-week first phase of the truce ended at the weekend. It had enabled the entry of vital food, shelter and medical assistance to Gaza. The Israeli decision prompted the United Nations to call on Israel for an immediate restoration of the aid.

Germany also urged Israel to resume aid flow "immediately".

Meanwhile, Israel's army said it struck on Monday a "suspicious motorised vessel" off the coast of south Gaza's Khan Yunis. (Agencies)