An explosion damaged a building in the Israeli city of Netanya north of Tel Aviv on Friday injuring several people, a police spokesman said.

Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the reason for the blast was unclear and it had caused a wall in a restaurant to collapse.

"An investigation has been opened and we are looking into the background," Rosenfeld said.

An Israeli television station, Channel 2, said an electrical short-circuit may have caused the incident, rather than criminals or Palestinian militants who have not carried out any bombings in that area in quite some time.

The restaurant was shut for the Jewish sabbath at the time of the blast and those injured lived in the apartments above it.