The Egyptians fear another breach of the frontier by Palestinians trying to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

A senior member of Hamas, which controls Gaza, threatened on Tuesday to repeat a breach of the border with Egypt earlier this year.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians poured into Egypt in January to stock up on goods in short supply.

An official said hundreds of security staff had arrived in northern Sinai, ready for deployment to the border town of Rafah.

Lorries carrying goods to the border have been stopped at the Suez Canal, the official said.

On Tuesday, Hamas politician Khalil al-Haya described the situation in Gaza as "no longer bearable" and renewed threats to breach the border.

The interior ministry warned it would impose prison sentences on anybody participating in the industrial action or inciting others to take part.

It also made it clear that no public demonstrations would be tolerated.

Strikes are illegal in Egypt and in the past the government has ordered the police to break them up by using force.

The strike call comes two days before key municipal elections on Tuesday, the first to take place under the constitutional amendments passed in March 2007.

In a statement, officials warned people against participating in the general strike, called by activists and workers at one of the biggest state-owned textile factories, in protest at low wages and the sharp increases in food prices in recent months.

The BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo says that although a wave of popular discontent has been sweeping the country in response to the rising cost of food and low wages, the groups calling for the general strike have limited public appeal.

Nevertheless, she says some Egyptians may be tempted to express their anger about the increased hardship, which has seen queues in front of bakeries selling subsidised bread and most families struggling to meet their basic needs.

The Egyptian government has promised to increase salaries and has extended its food subsidy programme to include an additional 15 million people.

More than a third of Egyptians live below or just above the poverty line of $2 (£1) a day.