Disclosed is a fuel filter (10) for fuel, in particular diesel fuel, of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, and to a filter element of such a fuel filter. A housing (12) has at least one fuel inlet (26) for the fuel to be cleaned, at least one fuel outlet (18) for cleaned fuel, and at least one water outlet (30) for water which has been separated from the fuel. The filter element (36) is arranged in the housing (12), said filter element sealingly separating the fuel inlet (26) from the fuel outlet (18). The filter element (36) has a filter medium (38) which is designed as a hollow body and which can be permeated from the inside to the outside or from the outside to the inside in order to filter the fuel. The filter element (36) has a coalescing medium (58) designed as a hollow body for separating water contained in the fuel. The coalescing medium (58) is arranged downstream of the filter medium (38) in the flow path (78) of the fuel, around said filter medium, or in the interior (45) delimited by the filter medium. The coalescing medium (58) includes at least one regenerated-fiber coalescing system consisting of a coalescing material (60) which is suitable for coalescing water and which has at least 20 wt. % of regenerated fibers, preferably at least 50 wt. %.