KARACHI, Pakistan

New Zealand's immigration authorities have started to require Israeli citizens applying for a visa to report details of their military background as a condition for entry, following new immigration rules, Times of Israel reported on Tuesday.

At least one Israeli soldier who served in Gaza during the war against Hamas has been denied entry by the immigration officials after doing so, the newspaper reported without elaborating on the date of the incident.

Immigration officials are asking Israelis of reserve service age who applied for tourist visas to New Zealand to report whether they had served in the Israel Defense Forces (ADF), and whether they are active reservists.

By law, national military service is mandatory for all Israelis over the age of 18.

Those who answered affirmatively were required to complete detailed questionnaires about their military service, including the dates of their military service, the location of their bases, the corps and units in which they served, the military camps where they were stationed, their rank, details of their roles, and their military ID number.

They have also been asked about their association with any intelligence service or group, or law enforcement agency, or have they been associated with any group or organization that has used or promoted violence or human rights abuses to further their aims.

The questionnaire also asks an applicant if he or she has committed or been involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or human rights abuses.

Authorities refused to exempt even those who can’t disclose their military service details due to security reasons. As a result, they are unable to complete the questionnaire, and obtain a visa.

According to the unnamed soldier, he was denied a visa even though he wrote in the questionnaire that he had not been involved in war crimes in Gaza.

Australia, according to the report, has been operating a similar policy, and, as a result, at least two Israelis have been denied entry.

When reached for comment, the New Zealand Immigration Authority did not deny the report, but said that serving in the current war did not automatically disqualify Israelis from entering the country.​​​​​​​