THE US Justice Department has opened a federal hate crime investigation into the death of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American.

Wadea Al-Fayoume died on Saturday, after being stabbed 26 times with a military-style knife in Plainfield, Illinois, about 37 miles from Chicago.

His mother, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin, also suffered more than a dozen stab wounds but survived the attack.

The suspect in custody, 71-year-old Joseph M. Czuba, reportedly yelled: “You Muslims must die!” before committing the crime.

He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of a hate crime, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

While in critical condition, his mother took to social media to share his last words.

“My son’s last words were: (I’m fine). May God have mercy on him and let him dwell in the highest paradise,” Shahin wrote.

The child’s father, Oday El-Fayoume, told The Daily Beast that his family had a good relationship with the landlord before the attack and that he even built Wadea a treehouse before killing him.

“He is an angel. Basically a small angel in the form of a person. To this minute, I cannot believe how this could have happened,” El-Fayoume said to The Daily Beast.

“It is hard to picture this man holding a knife about to stab my son. I keep thinking that my son was probably running towards him before getting stabbed, trying to give him a hug.”

Czuba declined to make a statement, but police made the determination that the victims were “targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”

The Justice Department “will use every legal authority at our disposal to bring to justice those who perpetrate illegal acts of hate,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

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“This incident cannot help but further raise the fears of Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities in our country with regard to hate-fueled violence,” Garland said.

“The Department of Justice is focused on protecting the safety and the civil rights of every person in this country.”

Wadea celebrated his sixth birthday just before his death.

“He was a 6-year-old boy, he loved everything,” Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago’s executive director said.

“He loved everybody, he loved his toys, he loved anything with a ball, basketball, soccer, he loved to color, he loved to swing around, he loved his parents, he loved his family and his friends, he loved life and he was looking forward to a long, healthy, prosperous life.”

“He has no clue about these larger issues happening in the world but he was made to pay for it,” Rehab added.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker echoed Rehab’s messages in a statement of his own, rejecting bigotry and hate during the time of crisis.

“To take a 6-year-old child’s life in the name of bigotry is nothing short of evil,” he said.

“Every single Illinoisan – including our Muslim, Jewish and Palestinian neighbors – deserves to live free from the threat of such evil.”

“Today, MK and I join our Muslim and Palestinian brothers and sisters in mourning this tragic loss and praying for the recovery of Wadea’s mother.”

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden also shared their disgust over the horrible attack in a statement.

“The child’s Palestinian Muslim family came to America seeking what we all seek – a refuge to live, learn, and pray in peace,” they said.

“As Americans, we must come together and reject Islamophobia and all forms of bigotry and hatred.”

“I have said repeatedly that I will not be silent in the face of hate. We must be unequivocal. There is no place in America for hate against anyone.”