JERUSALEM, Dec. 10 - Israel and the Palestinians are at odds over an agreement on the Gaza Strip, which now appears stalled despite deadlines set when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brokered the deal less than a month ago.
Israel on Friday threatened to restrict travel and trade across Gaza's borders if the Palestinians did not respond to Israeli security concerns within 48 hours at the recently reopened Rafah border crossing on Gaza's southern frontier with Egypt.
The Palestinians gained control of the Rafah crossing two weeks ago, and Israel says militants and weapons are being allowed to enter through it from Egypt.
At a meeting on Friday, two Israeli Army generals told diplomats from the United States and Europe, as well as international aid groups that the Palestinian handling of the Rafah crossing was "very unsatisfactory."
The Israeli generals said that if the situation did not improve by Sunday, Israel would impose "more restrictive and thorough security measures" at other Gaza crossing points that Israel controls, according to notes of the meeting obtained by The New York Times.
The generals cited the Erez crossing, which Palestinians use to enter Israel, and the Karni crossing, used for goods moving in and out of Gaza.
Palestinians say the Karni crossing is extremely important now because Gaza farmers are harvesting millions of dollars worth of perishable fruits and vegetables for export. Israel also says it has suspended talks on a bus shuttle service for Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank. Israel has barred such travel for much of the past five years. But the negotiated deal calls for the service to begin Dec. 15.
The Israeli defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, told Israel radio on Saturday that he had "no intention of placing the Palestinians under siege; the opposite is true." Still, he added that the Rafah crossing "is open to the movement of terrorists and munitions."
Israel's military also said Saturday that it found a Palestinian tunnel a day earlier under the Erez crossing, at the northern end of Gaza. The tunnel, heading to southern Israel, was destroyed.
At a separate meeting, an American diplomat said the problems at Rafah were related to technical problems rather than bad faith, according to the notes of the meeting. The diplomat made the remarks to other members of the so-called quartet, consisting of the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States.
Under the agreement, Israeli officials are not at the Rafah crossing, but are a few miles away, just outside Gaza, with access to video of the crossing and computer data on the people there. Israel says it is not receiving timely information.
The Palestinians, who have the final say on who is allowed to cross at Rafah, say they have not broken the agreement.
David Welch, the State Department official responsible for the Middle East, is holding talks with the Israelis and the Palestinians to try to keep the agreement on track.
Israel withdrew all of its settlers and soldiers from Gaza in August and September, with no resolution on how Palestinians would come and go. Ms. Rice worked out the deal on the crossings last month. Palestinians say Gaza's economy will never be viable unless the crossings are open.
Israel suspended talks on the bus service after the suicide bombing on Monday that killed five Israelis in the coastal town of Netanya. Since then, the Israelis and Palestinians have been trading daily fire.
In a related development, the leader of the Islamic faction Hamas, Khaled Mashaal, said Friday that the group would not renew a temporary truce, which has often been violated, that most Palestinian factions agreed to in March.
Mr. Mashaal's remarks were quickly amended by Hamas leaders in Gaza, who said they regarded the truce to be in effect, at least for now.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, said Saturday that the truce should be extended. "We should move ahead with this calm until security and stability have been reached in the homeland," he said. On Saturday, Israeli naval forces fatally shot at least one Palestinian in the Mediterranean just off Gaza, Palestinian officials said. Another man was reported missing.
The Israeli military said that one of its ships spotted two men swimming toward the Gaza side of the border, and that floating bags were tied to their legs. The men were ordered to stop, but did not. Palestinians on shore fired at the Israeli ship, and it then fired on the men, the Israelis said, adding that they suspected the men of smuggling weapons.
