RAMALLAH, West Bank ? Palestinian militants are sending “very positive” signals that they are ready for a cease-fire with Israel, a top aide to the Palestinian prime minister said Sunday, a day before Egypt’s intelligence chief arrives for truce talks.

Cabinet secretary Hassan Abu Libdeh said he was confident Israel and the Palestinians could halt three years of fighting soon. Whether a cease-fire can hold, he cautioned, will depend largely on Israel.

“The Palestinian factions are giving us very positive indications,” Abu Libdeh said. “I think that if Israel does not play around with us, they are willing to go as far as possible … but it is all in Israel’s hands.”

Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said Sunday that truce talks with the militants would begin soon after the arrival today of Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. The Egyptian, who has helped mediate past cease-fires, is coming to assist Qureia in talks with Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

It was unclear whether the two groups, responsible for dozens of suicide bombings in the past three years, would participate in the meetings.