The 30 October 2020 M7 Samos earthquake occurred offshore the Greece-Turkey cross border region, and will be recalled as among the deadliest (118 fatalities) that affected both countries. It generated a strong tsunami and caused coseismic uplift of 20 to 35 cm of the NW part of the Samos Island. It ruptured a ~60 km long, north-dipping normal fault, related to the back-arc extension of the Aegean Sea area. Using picks from regional strong motion and broad-band waveforms we relocated the mainshock and the aftershocks, applying suitable velocity models. The closest strong-motion recordings, constrained the finite fault slip model, suggesting up-dip and westward propagation of the rupture. The westward rupture propagation is independently confirmed by the apparent source time functions inferred using the empirical Green’s function method from near-regional broad-band and strong-motion waveforms. Static displacements measured by GNSS stations constrain near surface slip of ~1 m, explaining the tsunami and the island uplift. The 2020 Samos event showed that normal faults bounding the basins in the back-arc Aegean region can host M7 earthquakes and when combined with tsunami generation, constitute a constant threat for the nearby coastal areas of both Greece and Turkey.