BEIRUT, Lebanon — The rebel-held Syrian town of Moadhamiya hoisted the government’s flag from its tallest building on Thursday as part of a tentative truce deal, a symbolic victory for the government, which has blockaded the town for nearly a year, preventing food and medical supplies from entering.

According to antigovernment activists in the town and others familiar with the deal, government security officials had promised in return to bring cooked meals into the town, where doctors and activists say at least half a dozen people have died of malnutrition.

But in an indication of the difficulty of striking and keeping such pacts in an atmosphere of deep mistrust, by Thursday evening no food had been delivered, rebels in the town were being accused by comrades elsewhere of striking a deal for money, and the planned 48-hour cease-fire appeared to be threatened by clashes between government and rebel fighters.

The government in recent months has stepped up a strategy of pursuing small-scale local cease-fires even as it continues to bombard rebel-held areas and as prospects for a comprehensive peace settlement appear remote.