Somboon Saewang, 35, told the media he lost six friends who were sheltering in the same work camp during a Hamas attack in Israel.
Mr Somboon was among the first group of 41 Thai workers who returned from Israel to the waiting arms of their families on Thursday.
He belonged to a group of 15 who returned with the government's help via the Foreign Affairs Ministry; the other 26 returned by themselves.
The Nan-born labourer said he was glad to return to Thailand finally.
Mr Somboon said before the repatriation, he and 10 other Thais working at the same place had to live separately in three safe rooms after the Hamas attacks.
He said he and four other friends were rescued by Israeli soldiers while the other six who hid in another room were all killed by Hamas militants.
"[The militants] tried to hold us hostage. The other group were killed maybe after they heard a knocking sound and opened the door," he said.
Mr Somboon said he then heard another round of gunfire, but it was shooting from Israeli soldiers who came to rescue them.
"[I and my other friends who survived] are traumatised by the loss. It makes me not want to work overseas again for the rest of my life," he said.
Mr Somboon and the other 14 labourers arrived in Thailand at 11.22am on Thursday on an El Al flight. Two of the returnees were injured and put in wheelchairs.
At the airport, Yanisa Thaweekaew, told her son Supipat Kongkaew, who worked on a farm about 2km from the Gaza Strip, that she was overjoyed to welcome him home.
Monthakan Samaming hugged her husband at the airport. She said she was more than happy to have him back.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Labour Minister Phipat Ratchakitprakarn, Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang, and Deputy Public Health Minister Santi Promphat were among those who welcomed the workers home.
The 15 Thai workers were later taken by bus from the airport to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute to be screened for diseases, where they were also presented with 15,000 baht in compensation.
A second group of 140 labourers will return via Royal Thai Air Force aircraft and arrive at the Royal Thai Air Force Airport; no specified date or time was made public.
Some, however, were not as lucky as Mr Somboon. Surangkhana Khunsi was the mother of Pongsathorn, 25, the Nakhon Ratchasima local whom Hamas militants took hostage.
The woman was later left heartbroken upon learning that her son, whom she called "Green", was among the 21 Thais known so far to have been killed in the attack.
An injured worker is among a group of 15 Thai workers returning from Israel on Thursday with the government's help via the Foreign Affairs Ministry. There are two injured returnees in this group. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)
