JEBALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip — Israeli tank shells slammed into a crowded U.N. school sheltering Gazans displaced by fighting today, killing 15 and wounding 90 after tearing through the walls of two classrooms, a spokesman for a U.N. aid agency and a health official said.

The Israeli military said mortar shells had been fired from near the school, and that soldiers fired back.

The Israeli military declared a four-hour humanitarian cease-fire in parts of Gaza beginning at 3 p.m. Hamas had no immediate comment.

Israeli airstrikes and shelling also killed 40 Palestinians elsewhere today, including multiple members of two families struck in their homes, health officials said.

The new violence further dimmed hopes of a long-term cease-fire.

The strike at the U.N. school came as part of Israel's heaviest air and artillery assault in more than three weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting.

The Israeli campaign escalated Tuesday, with airstrikes destroying key symbols of Hamas power, including the home of the top Hamas leader. Gaza's only power plant was shut down after shells set its fuel tank on fire.

Today, Israeli aircraft struck dozens of Gaza sites, including five mosques it said were being used by militants, while several other areas came under tank fire.

NEW DELHI — Torrential rains triggered a massive landslide that buried a remote village in western India today, sweeping away scores of houses and possibly trapping more than 150 people, officials said.About 100 rescuers had reached the area, but continuing rains and bad roads were hampering rescue efforts and preventing reinforcements from reaching Ambegaon, said Alok Avasthy, a National Disaster Response Force commander.The landslide hit the village early this morning, but details on the extent of the damage only began to trickle out several hours later, he said. Poor phone signals also were hampering the rescue operation. According to early reports, at least 40 homes were swept away.“It's surrounded by hills and the area is very remote and rural, so it's taking us time to get there,” Avasthy said.Avasthy said he was leading a team of 150 rescuers but they were having trouble communicating with the first batch of 100 responders in the area.

LONDON — British officials says driverless cars will be tested on roads in as many as three cities in a trial program to begin in JanuaryOfficials said today the tests will last up to three years. Sensors and cameras will guide the cars.The plan will include two types of driverless technology. One places a driver in the car who can take the controls if needed; another calls for a fully autonomous vehicle with no driver present.Transport Minister Claire Perry said driverless cars could transform Britain's road network and improve safety and traffic flow while reducing carbon emissions.The cities to test the system will be chosen in a competition.Other countries including Japan and the United States are already developing driverless technology.